Corn-planter attachment.



J. S. SMITH.

CORN PLANTER ATTACHMENT.

APPLIGATIQN FILED PEB.1z,1910.

971,320. Patented'sepnzv, 1910.

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J. S. SMITH.

CORN .PLANTER ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1910. 971,2@ Patented sept. 27, 1910.

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JOHN S. SMITH, 0F REA, MISSOURI.

CORN-PLANTER ATTACHMENT.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 12, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rea, in the county of Andrew, State of Missouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-PlanterAttachments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to corn planters and has special reference to amarker attachment for corn planters arranged to lift the marker andpermit it to fall to one side or the other as desired.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved generalarrangement of marker mechanism for corn planters.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatic means forbraking the lifting mechanism when the same is released to permit themarker to fall to operative position.

A third object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement ofclutch actuat ing mechanism in order to drive a winding drum arranged tolift the marker.

IVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists ingeneral of an attachment for corn planters comprising a marker, improvedmeans for raising the marker from the ground, means to brake the lastmentioned means when the marker is allowed to fall, and an improved formof clutch actuating mechanism adapted to be used in connection with theraising means.

The invention further consists in certain novel details of constructionand combinations of parts hereinafter' fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, and specifically set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views7 and :WFigure 1 is a rear elevation of a cornplanter constructed in accordance with this invention, certain of theparts being omitted the better to show the attachment. Fig. 2 is a sideview of a corn planter provided with this attachment, certain of theparts being omitted the better to show the attachment. Fig. 3 is a planview of a portion of the rear end of a planter equipped with thisinvention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of certain of the parts shown inFig. 3.

The numeral 10 indicates the frame of a planter and this frame issupported in the usual manner by ground wheels 11 mounted on a suitableaxle 12. One of the ground wheels has secured thereto a sprocket 13, thesprocket being arranged to rotate with the ground wheel.

Upon the frame 10 are carried bearings 111 wherethrough passes a shaft15 provided at one end with a sprocket 16 in alinement with thesprocket- 13 and connected operatively thereto by means of a sprocketchain 17. Freely rotatable on this shaft is a winding drum 18 having atone end a ratchet 19 and at the other end a clutch member 20.

lVIounted above the frame is a beam Q2 and upon the upper side of thisbeam adjacent the ratchet end of the winding drum 18 is a bracket 23whereto is pivoted one end of a frame 24 which carries a freelyrotatable roller 25 which projects over and is adapted to contact withthe ratchet 19. This frame also carries a roller Q6 which lies behindthe drum 18. At the rear end of the frame 10 there is secured a standard27 having an openinO 2S therethrough wherein is mounted a guide sheave29. At the upper end of the standard 27 is a pair of guide sheaves 30arranged in opposed relation. Pivoted to the frame to swing in avertical circle is a marker arm 31 carrying at its free end the usualmarker 32 and to this marker arm is connected a flexible element in theform of a cord, rope, chain or the like, and here indicated at 33. Thisrope runs over one of the sheaves 30, through the opening 2S under t-heguide sheave 29, under the roller 2G and over and around the windingdrum 18. The roller 2G is so located that when in its depressed positionthe rope 33 will be extended down between the winding drum and thesheave 29. The object of this is that when stress is placed on the ropeas in raising the marker the roller 25 will be raised clear of theratchet 19 so as to permit the free rotation of the drum withoutinterference from the roller.

In order to throw the drum into and out of operative engagement with theshaft 15 there is fixed upon this shaft a clutch member 34, and the drumis provided with a boss having a shipper groove 35 extending therearoundand in this groove is held the forked end 36 of a shipper 37 whichpasses through a suitable opening formed through the beam 22. The end ofthis shipper 37 opposite the forked end is provided with a pin 39 whichpasses upward through a diagonal slot 40 formed in a cam memberl 41.Carried on this beam 22 is a guide 42 which passes through ears 43formed on the cam member 41. hounted on the beam 22 isa boss 44 andpivoted to this boss is a lever 45 which extends downward through asuitable guide 46 on the beam 22. This lever is connected to the slidingcam 41 by a link 47 so that as thc lever is moved the sliding member ismoved. By means of this arrangement as the sliding member is moved inone direction or the other the cam slot 40 acts to move the pin 39 oneway or the other, thus throwing the clutch in or out of gear as desired.

In order to hold the marker in raised position there is mounted on thebeam 22 a pawl 48 which is engageable with the ratchet 19. This pawl isconnected by means of a link 49 with a lever 50, the lever being locatedconvenient to the operators seatl 52 and the lever 45 being alsoconvenient to the operator as clearly shown in the drawings.

In order to retract the cam plate 41 there is provided a spring 51, oneend of the spring being fastened to the plate and the other end to asuitable lug 53 carried on the beam 22. In order to hold the pawl 48 inengagement with the ratchet 19 the pawl is provided with spaced ears 54which engage over the sides of the ratchet 19 and the lever 50 isprovided with a spring 55 so connected to the lever and its supportingmember or arm 56 that the pawl is normally held in engagement with theratchet. It is, furthermore, found advisable that resilient means beemployed for holding the frame 24 in its depressed position and to thisend a spring 57 has one end connected to the frame 24 while the otherend is connected to a pin 58 extending outward from the lower part ofthe beam 22.

Tn the operation of the device, if it is desired to raise the marker andhold the same in raised position the operator shoves the lever 45forward, thus moving the sliding member 41 and causing the pin 39 tomove in such direction as to cause the clutch members 20 and 34 toengage. As the machine is driven forward the drum 18 is rotated by meansof the sprockets 13 and 16 and t-he chain 17 and stress is placed uponthe rope 33. This causes the frame 24 to lift and raise the roller 25clear of the ratchet 19, thus permitting the drum to revolve freely.Then the marker has been raised sufficiently the operator removes hisfoot from the lever 45 and releases the clutch members. Meanwhile thepawl 48 is in engagement with the ratchetl 19 and prevents the rotationof the drum in the direction required to unwind the rope 33 and themarker is held in this raised position. lf the operator desires to dropthe marker he releases the pawl 48 by pressing on the lever 50 and asthe stress is removed from the rope 33 the frame 24 is allowed to falland the roller 25 to engage with the ratchet 19. This checks themovement of the drum sufficiently so that the falling of the marker isnot violent and consequently docs not break either the marker or itsarm. By this means the release of the drum by the pawl 48 automaticallyreleases the frame and produces a braking effect on said drum.

There has thus been provided a simple and eiiicient device of the kinddescribed and for the purpose specified.

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the form andconstruction of this invention without departing from the materialprinciples thereof. It is not therefore desired to confine the inventionto the exact form herein shown and described, but it is wished toinclude all such as properly come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. In an attachment for corn planters, a marker arranged to swing in avertical circle, and means to raise said marker including a windingdrum, a ratchet on one end of said drum, a roller mounted for movementinto and out of engagement with the ratchet, a flexible elementconnected to the marker and wound on the drum, said element beingarranged to move the roller away from the ratchet as the drum is rotatedto lift the marker, and releasable means to actuate the drum.

2. In an attachment for corn planters, a marker arranged to swing in avertical circle, and means to raise said marker including a windingdrum, a ratchet on one 'end of said drum, a pivoted frame, a rollermounted in said frame and adapted to bear against the ratchet when theframe is depressed, a -iexible element connected to the marker and woundon the drum, said element being arranged to raise the roller from theratchet as the drum is rotated to lift the marker, and releasable meansto actuate said drum.

3. In an attachment for corn planters, a marker arranged to swing in avertical circle, and means to raise said marker including a windingdrum, a ratchet on one end of said drum, a frame pivoted at one end, aroller mounted toward the opposite end of said drum and adapted `to bearagainst the ratchet when the end of the frame carrying the roller isdepressed, a tiexible element connected to the marker and wound on thedrum, a guide sheave for said flexible element, said element. extendingunder the roller and guide sheave and over the drum, and the roller,drum and guide sheave being positioned to tlex the element when theroller is depressed whereby when the element is stressed by the rotationof the drum the roller is raised from the ratchet, and releasable meansto actuate the drum.

4. The combination With a corn planter; of an attachment thereforcomprising a marker pivoted to the planter to swing in a verticalcircle, a shaft mounted for rotation on the planter, drive Wheelssupporting the planter, sprockets on one of said Wheels and the shaft, asprocket chain connecting said sprockets, a drum freely rotatable on theshaft and provided at one end with a ratchet and at the opposite endWith a clutch member, a frame pivoted to the planter, a roller rotatablymounted toward the free end of said frame, a guide sheave, a flexibleelement Wound on said drum and passing under the roller and guidesheave, a second guide sheave above the first mentioned sheave, saidflexible element passing over the second guide sheave and beingconnected to the marker, said roller having an end adapted to bearagainst said ratchet when the frame is depressed, a releasable paWlengaging said ratchet, a clutch member fixed on the shaft, and means tomove the drum clutch member into and out of engagement with the clutchmember on the shaft.

5. The combination with a corn planter; of an attachment thereforcomprising a marker pivoted to the planter to swing in a verticalcircle, a shaft mounted for rotation on the planter, drive Wheelssupporting the planter, sprockets on one of said Wheels and the shaft, asprocket chain connecting said sprockets, a drum freely rotatable on theshaft and provided at one end with a ratchet and at the opposite endwith a clutch member, a frame pivoted to the planter, a roller rotatablymounted toward the free end of said frame, a guide sheave, a flexibleelement Wound on said drum and passing under the roller and guidesheave, said flexible element passing over the second guide she-ave andbeing connected to the marker, said roller having an end adapted to bearagainst said ratchet When the frame is depressed, a releasable paWlengaging said ratchet, a clutch member fixed on the shaft, and means tomove the drum clutch member into and out of engagement With the clutchmember on the shaft, said means comprising a shipper having a forked endengaging the drum, a Jin on the opposite end of said shipper, a s idingmember provided With a cam slot engaging said pin, a quadrant fixedlymounted with relation to the planter, and a latch lever pivoted to saidquadrant and operatively connected to said sliding member.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of twoWitnesses.

JOHN S. SMITH. Witnesses:

WooDsoN Corr., r JAMES HENSON.

